Combined rail-joint and tie-fastener.



A. DILLON. COMBINED RAIL JOINT AND TIE FASTBNBR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1911.

1,038,31 3. Patented Sept. 10, 1912 ALBERT DILLON, OF AITCH, OHIO.

COMBINED RAIL-JOINT AND TIE-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 23, 1911.

Patented Sept. 10, 1912.v

Serial No. 628,918.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT D'IL'LON, acitizenof the United States, residlng at .Aitch, in the county of Monroe andState I of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCombined Rail- Joints and Tie-Fasteners, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invent-ion relates to new and useful improvements in metallic railties and fastenings therefor and more particularly to a combined tiefastener and rail joint, and my object is to provide a device of thischaracter which will eliminate the use of spikes, bolts, nuts and thelike and will effectively secure the rails to the ties.

A further object of the invention resides in providing clamping membersto engage the base flanges of the rails and retain the same, and a stillfurther object resides in providing means for readily locking andunlocking said clamping members to the tie. A. further object is toprovide the clamping members having shanks thereon pro vided withgrooves and further to provide keys or the like on the tie adapted tocooperate with the grooves in the clamping members to secure the same tosaid tie.

Still another object of the invention resides in providing certain ofthe clamping members with locking lugs. adapted to enter notches or thelike in the ends of the opposed rails, whereby said opposed rails may besecurely held together to the tie.

A still further object resides in providing a device which is extremelysimple in construction, thereby readily and cheaply manufactured and onewhich is very efficient and useful in operation.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novelfeatures of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as willbe hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in thespecification and claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application Figure 1is a top plan view of the tie showing my improvements applied to use.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section therethrough as seen on line 22,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective of a modification of one of theclamping members removed. Fig. 4: is a similar view of one of the railends used in connection with my device as a'rail joint,

and, Fig. 5 is a detail perspective of one of the locking keys removedfrom the tie.

In carrying out my invention, I shall refer to the drawing in whichsimilar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views and in which- 1 indicates a solid metallic tieprovided adjacent each end thereof with a pair of slots 2 and 3, whichslots extend vertically and completely through said tie. Extendingtransversely through the tie is a plurality of channels or grooves 4,one for each slot, said channels being so disposed as to intersect theslots and form grooves in the side walls thereof. These channels 4,where fully represented, are substantially circular in cross section,but, as stated, are so disposed as to be intersected by the verticalslots and, therefore, form substantial semicircular grooves in the wallsof said slots, and mounted in said slots, are the locking keys or thelike 5 which are circular in cross I section and have portions thereofflattened, as shown at 6, which flattened portions are equivalent inlength to the lengths of the slots 2 and 3. These keys are upset at oneof their ends to be retained to the tie and the other end thereof bentsubstantially at right angles to the general trend, asshown' at 7 andthe extreme outer end of this right-' angular bent portion has a knob orthe like 8 formed thereon to be readily grasped by 1 the operator. Theflattened portions of the keys are so formed thereon as to register in 7alinement with one of the side walls of said slots when the angularportions of said keys are raised to their vertical positions, and whendisposed in the position shown in Fig. 1, the keys 5 are in their lockedpositions, as a portion of the same extends within the vertical slots 2and 3. In order to secure a rail 9 to this tie, the clamping members 10are provided, one for each: of the vertical slots 2 and 3, the shanks 11of which are provided with the longitudinal,

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grooves 12, which grooves are substantially semi circular incrosssection and formwith the SQIDLCllCIllilI' grooves of the sld'e walls ofsaid slots, substantially circular channels.

Inpositioning the clamping memb'erson v the tie, the angular portions 7of the lock ing keys5 are disposed to their vertical 'po-g sit-ionssothat the flattened portions 6 there of register-with the side walls-ofthe slots 2 and 8, whereby the shanks of said clamping members may bereadily inserted in said slot-s and the rails 9 positioned between saidclamping members so that the under faces of the heads of the latterengage the base flanges of said rails. The longitudinal grooves 12 areso disposed in the shanks of said clamping members that when the headssecurely held in position to lock the base flanges of the rails to thetie and prevent movement of the same in any direction. I have alsoprovided means for the joining of a pair of rail ends with this form ofrail securing means, in which the use of spikes and bolts is eliminated,and to this extent, the clamping members 13, similar to the clampingmembers 10 are each provided with a pair of lugs or projections 14; atthe junction of the head and the shank thereof, said lugs or projectionsbeing spaced apart and both disposed on the same side of the member. The1 rails 15 are each provided adjacent their ends with a pair of notchesor the like 16 and 17, one notch being disposed in each of the baseflanges of the rail and opposite one another. Thus, it will be seen thatas the two opposed rail ends are brought together on the tie, theclamping members may be lowered into engagement therewith so that thelugs thereon enter the notches in the base flanges of said rail, and asthese clamping members 13 are otherwise identical with the clampingmembers 10, the look ing keys may be disposed in their eifectivepositions so as to lock said clamping mem- 'bers in engagement with therail ends. In

this manner, said rail ends are clamped to one another from both sidesand securely held to the rail without the use of spikes or bolts andnuts. j

. From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided an improvedform of tie and rail fastener therefor and have also provided inconjunction therewith, an improved rail joint, both of which are ofextremely simple construction and effectual in operation; Furthermore,it will be seen throughout the operation of the device, that the use ofspikes and bolts and nutsis entirely eliminated, so that the device isquickly and readily operated at all times, and in this connection, itwill be seen that time, labor and expense will be greatly lessenedthrough the use of this device. It will still further be seen that thisdevice is of extremely simple construction, thereby cheaply manufacturedand one which is effective in operation in every connection.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a base member having verticalslots therein; of means to secure an additional member thereto,comprising clamping members having shanks thereon disposed in saidvertical slots, said shanks being provided with transverse channels, androtatable locking keys extending transversely of the base membercontiguous with said slots, said locking keys being adapted to engagethe channels of said shanks when rotated in one direction, and means tomanually rotate said locking keys.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a basemember having vertical slots therein and also provided with transversechannels intersecting said slots; of means to secure an additionalmember to said base member, comprising clamping members removablymounted in said slots, said clamping members being provided with groovesadapted for alinement with the channels of said base member, and lockingmembers rotatably mounted in the channels of said base member adapted toenter the grooves of said clamping members to retain the same in theireffective positions.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a tie havingvertical slots therein and also provided with transverse channelscontiguous with said slots; of means to secure a member to said tie,comprising clamping members provided with shanks extending within saidslots and vertically movable therewithin, said shanks being providedwith grooves on one of their faces adapted to aline with the channels insaid tie, locking keys rotatably mounted in the channels of said tie andpermanently carried thereon, said locking keys being adapted to enterthe grooves of the shanks ing-pins being each provided with a flattenedface, and means to rotate said locking pins.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a basemember having vertical slots therein and also provided with transversechannels intersecting said slots;

of clamping members removably mounted and a handle member carried oneach of in said slots provided with grooves therein said pins tomanually rotate the same. 10 adapted for alinement with the channels inIn testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my said base member, locking pinssubstantially signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' circular in cross section rotatably mounted ALBERT DILLON. in thechannels of said base, said locking Witnesses: pins being each providedwith a flattened GLEN PoLEN, face and permanently carried on the base,W. V. A. PoL N.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

